The highest-profile political achievement at last month WTO’s ministerial conference in Geneva – a multilateral agreement on curbing fisheries subsidies – is also about to become one of the organisation’s most urgent dossiers for renewed attention.
WTO Fish
The WTO’s new ‘Geneva Package’: What’s been agreed?
WTO trade ministers have brought the institution’s 12th ministerial to a successful conclusion with a compromise deal on a package of measures on a TRIPS waiver, agriculture, fisheries and WTO reform. The deal, which has been christened the ‘Geneva Package’ by diplomats, also includes a 2-year extension of the existing …
‘Cautious optimism’ as WTO delegations make final preparations for MC12
WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said she is “increasingly cautiously optimistic” that an overall compromise deal can be reached on the various issues at stake at next week’s WTO ministerial conference, according to a WTO official. This assessment followed a ‘stocktaking’ meeting of the WTO’s ruling General Council on Tuesday …
WTO Corner: Fish subsidy talks, EU vs China “anti-suit” injunctions
Fisheries subsidies negotiators sat down again properly for talks after the postponement of the late 2021 ministerial meeting. The EU is bringing a new big-ticket case against China in the WTO regarding what it basically sees as Chinese court extra-territorial over-reach on patent protections. By Chris Horseman and Iana Dreyer.
MC12 – Fish subsidies agreement: what is left for ministers to decide
The final draft of a new WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies was submitted to trade ministers late on Wednesday (24 November), as officials in Geneva made their final push towards what would be the organisation’s first major multilateral agreement in more than 20 years.
WTO fisheries subsidies agreement: stars aligning, but success not guaranteed
The World Trade Organization’s twelfth ministerial meeting at the end of November represents the institution’s big chance to secure a deal to limit subsidies to the fisheries sector, after 20 years of trying. But success is still by no means guaranteed.
WTO ministerial delivers political impetus on fish subsidies – but divisions persist
Trade ministers from more than 100 WTO member countries have recommitted to negotiating a multilateral deal to curb fisheries subsidies this year. But at a virtual ministerial meeting dedicated to the topic on Thursday (15 June), it became clear that divisions over the issue remain substantial – and it remains …
Consensus still elusive as new WTO fish subsidies text circulated
Hopes for a significant breakthrough on rules to control fisheries subsidies at the upcoming ministerial meeting on 15 July appear to have receded, as wide gaps between the positions of the 164 delegations on a number of key points show little sign of narrowing. A revised draft text on the …
WTO Corner: The big push to produce ‘deliverables’ for MC12
It’s been a very intense week at the WTO with plenty of discussions and negotiations taking place in critical topic areas for the institution. There is no breakthrough anywhere yet. Here is an attempt at a little state of play of where some of the most important discussions are: fisheries, …
WTO Corner: Fish subsidies move to end game, IP waiver negotiations now weekly
Chris Horseman and Robert Francis on the latest developments in the two critical negotiations at the WTO on fisheries subsidies and on intellectual property. Plans for revised compromise text as WTO fish talks enter end-game A fresh revised text of the planned WTO agreement on fisheries subsidies is expected to …
